A Fork in the Road
by reshapingtheworld
Summary: Bella returns to Forks after moving away when she was 14. Now, a junior in high school, she and her former best friend, Edward Cullen, cross paths. Bella vowed to never care for him again after he cut off contact with her-- can he change her mind? BxE AH
1. Chapter 1

**Hi ! I'm Lena and this is my first ever fanfic. I hope you enjoy! Please feel free to give me as much feedback as possible-- good and bad. I'm here to be a better writer! :)**

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Chapter 1- BPOV**

_I lied down on the grass, trying to clear my head. He lied down next to me, and held my hand._

_"Don't worry," he whispered, "I'll never forget you. We'll see each other again, some day."_

_"How could you know that?" I snapped, instantly regretting it. This was hardly the time to get testy. We only had so much time left between us._

_"I just do. It's like… fate or something, right?"_

_"I guess," I sighed. I stared up at the gray sky, the clouds that signaled that rain was on its way._

_"Bella," he leaned up on his arm to look at me. "You're my best friend. We'll keep in touch, I promise… we won't lose each other."_

_I looked at him speculatively. He chuckled at my unsure expression._

_"Don't you believe me?" I shrugged. "Like I'm ever wrong," he chuckled._

_"Oh please, you always are!" I teased him, poking his stomach. _

_"What?" I laughed, and soon he gave up on his mock look of offense and laughed with me._

"Bella? You there?" Charlie's voice snapped me out of my reverie.

I mean Dad. Right. Not Charlie.

"Yeah, Cha—_dad_, I was just thinking," I answered.

"You excited to see all your old friends?" he asked. What a bad time for him to suddenly decide to be conversational.

"Um, yeah. I talked to Alice a few weeks ago. And Rosalie texted me on my birthday last year." My friends and I did keep in touch, relatively speaking. Except for the one I wanted to hear from… the only one I really needed to hear from.

"Well, that's nice of them. Y'know, we're just across the street from Cullen's house. I bet you and Alice will be good friends." I stiffened instantly.

"Yeah, dad," I answered, my voice strained, "I bet we will. Alice is nice."

"She's a sweet girl."

Then the awkward silence again. For once I was grateful for it.

"Well, home sweet home," Charlie mumbled. The house was exactly the same as I remembered it from 3 years ago- a rickety white house with a peeling red door. Not by any means up to the standards of the beautiful, but very out of place, glass house across the street. The house where I used to spend most of my time. I tried not to look at it.

We gathered the few things that I had and headed inside, into my room up the staircase. It was a pleasant surprise—nothing like the pink girly room it used to be. Charlie must have taken care of that… I'd have to remember to thank him. The walls were now plain white adorned with a chalkboard on one side and a bulletin board on another. I had a small twin size bed with a navy blue comforter, and a wooden desk with a lamp on it. There was an armoire to use as a closet and a bureau with drawers. It was perfect.

"I'm going to go order a pizza. I'll help you unpack later," Charlie said.

"'Kay," I murmured back.

"And Bells," he patted my shoulder, "it's nice to have you home."

I blushed slightly. "Thanks, dad. It's nice to be back in Forks." I was careful not to say _home_… I could not call this place my home, yet. My home was in Phoenix, with my mother and step-dad. My home was warm and sunny and humid, not gray and rainy and cold. But I would only be in this place until I graduated in two years… _two years_… I tried not to dwell on that.

I began to unpack the few things I had. I left the rest at home, knowing that it wouldn't exactly be a good idea to wear tank tops and shorts here. I slowly unpacked pair after pair of jeans and t-shirt after t-shirt. I placed my clothing in drawers and my closet, and then began to unpack other items. I took my MacBook and placed it on the desk and placed my iHome on the bureau. I reached into my backpack and took out my old, but very endearing iPod and placed it on the dock. I also had a few pictures of my mom and me—those went on the bulletin board. I finished in record time—about a half hour—and sat by my window, staring outside. It was a typical day- cold and overcast. Beautiful.

"Bells!" I heard a call from downstairs.

"Yeah, dad?" I answered just as loudly.

"I gotta go to the station—just for a little while. You'll probably be asleep when I get back, so I left some money for the pizza, 'kay?"

"Okay," I answered, descending down the stairs.

"Sorry, Bells. Duty calls," he chuckled. I smiled back, and locked the door on his way out. I sighed, realizing I had just about nothing to do. It was 7:15 on a Friday night in a place where I doubt there was too much of a night life. I went upstairs to change into some lounging clothes, just a tank top and plaid flannel pajama pants when the doorbell rang.

I trotted down the stairs and opened the door to find a boy who looked around my age holding a pizza.

"_You're_ not Chief Swan," he accused.

"Apparently not," I answered exasperatedly.

"I'm Eric, you must be the Chief's daughter… Isabella, right?"

I sighed. "It's Bella." A gust of wind blew through the door and I shivered. Eric's gaze immediately went down to my chest. _Shit, I'm not wearing a bra! And it's cold!_

"So here's your pizza!" He said enthusiastically. I handed him the money, and right before I closed the door, he called my name.

"Bella! By the way, you might want to put on something warmer, it's a little _nippy _outside today," he said with a swarmy wink.

I slammed the door in his face.

_Shit._

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	2. Chapter 2

I took a deep breath, trying to collect myself after that very scarring experience. After a few of these I headed back into the kitchen where I realized that I was in a creepy old house, alone, with a pizza. I instantly regretted having a horror-movie marathon with Renee a few weeks ago. 

I ran into the living room and grabbed my phone, scrolling through the contacts until I found the one I was looking for: Alice. She would be over in a heartbeat if I tried to sound perky. I dialed her number.

"Bella!" she shrieked as I cringed, "you must be home by now! We have _so _much to catch up on!"

"Yeah, that's kinda why I'm calling. Charlie's at the station tonight, I was wondering if you'd want to come over and hang out? I just got a pizza," I tried to sound enthusiastic.

"Oh my god that'd be so much fun! I'll be over in five minutes!" The line went dead. 

True to her word, Alice appeared at my doorstep in a few minutes.

"Bella!" She flung herself into my arms and squeezed me before pulling back. "Wow, you look _hot_!" she said.

I chucked, "uh, thanks, Alice. It's nice to see you too."

"Bella, we're going to have so much fun tonight! I brought ice cream and junk food and movies! Let's pull an all-nighter!" she exclaimed. It was shocking how someone so tiny, hardly taller than 5'1", could be so energetic.

"If I can," I answered.

"Oh _yeah_, you must be tired from your trip," she said, looking the littlest bit disheartened.

"Just a little, but it's ok. I can sleep tomorrow… don't worry, Al." Her entire face lit up again as she squealed about how much fun we were going to have and bounded into my kitchen. It was definitely going to be a long night.

We settled on the couch after eating our pizza, pints of Ben and Jerry's in our laps. 

"So," she said, "before we start the movie. Tell me _everything _that's happen since I last saw you! I mean three years is a long time, Bell!"

I smiled, "I guess it is. But honestly, nothing's really happened."

"Oh, don't give me that. What was your school like?"

"Nothing like Forks Junior High… it's packed. A huge public school. It wasn't hard, though, I mean I did well."

"What about boys? Let's talk about boys!" Alice began bouncing in her seat.

"What about them?" I teased her.

She hit my knee. "Oh come _on_, Bella! You're a babe! You've had to have someone!"

I laughed at her. "Well, I had one boyfriend when I was 16."

She leaned in. "Oh, _do _tell!"

"His name was Jordan… he had just moved from Montreal. He spoke French, and it was pretty sexy," I chuckled at myself, "we hit it off immediately, and within a month we were a couple."

"And…" she motioned me with her hand to continue, wide-eyed.

"And, we were together for all of sophomore year…"  
"Bella, come on, help me out here!"

"I'm getting there! Well, in the summer things went kinda sour… well he never talked to me anymore and kept going off on me for hanging out with my guy friends. Then he said he met someone else and broke up with me."

"How?"

"What do you mean how?"

"How did he break up with you?"

_Alice will love this one_, I thought. "In an inbox on Facebook," I murmured.

"_No_!" she said, "you're lying!"

I sighed, "I wish I was."

"Ohmygod! Are you okay? Are you over him?"

"Yeah, I'm over him. And I'm fine. It was about two months ago, I'm over it." She looked unconvinced.

"Did you love him?" she said quietly.

I paused and shook my head. "I thought I did. But now that I look back on it, I don't think I ever really did. And I'm okay with that."

"Oh, Bella!" she said as she hugged my shoulders, "I'm sure you'll find someone soon."

"Thanks, Al." I could tell Alice and I would be great friends.

"_Wait."_ She said; I instantly became weary.

"What?" I asked meekly.

"Did you and Jordan ever… y'know…" She tilted her head.

I laughed. "No, Alice. We didn't."

"Which base did you go to?"  
I felt myself blush, "God, Alice, how old are you?"

"_Bella_," she sighed exasperatedly, "what type of sleepover would this be if we didn't talk about that?"

"A nice one. A very nice and pleasant one."

"Funny. Now how far did you go?"

I buried my head into the couch cushion as I mumbled my answer.  
"What was that, Bella?" 

I mumbled into the couch again.

"Bella! God help me, if you don't speak the hell up…"

"Three! Okay? Third Base!"

"Bow chick wow-wow, _Bella!_ How many times?" she pried me, doing a little dance with her hips.

"Just once."

"How was he?" 

"God, Alice, can't we talk about something else?" I really did not feel like discussing the one time I had any type of sexual relation with a boy.

"Don't be silly! How was he?"

I sighed, "Not that good. I mean I could tell that at the pace he was going it would take me a while to… y'know, so I kinda just faked a little, to speed things up." Alice erupted into laughter. 

"Oh, _god_, Bella! And did you go down on him?"

"Alice!"

"Bella!"

"Ugh. Yes."

"Did you swallow?" Instead of protesting the crude question, I just answered it, knowing I would eventually anyway.

"Yes. It wasn't that bad."

"You're a real trooper, B. My first time I freaked!" We both laughed, making the mood light again.

"So, what about you?" I was desperate to deflect the attention away from myself.

"I have a boyfriend," she smiled, obviously love struck. "His name is Jasper Hale, do you remember him?"

I thought back, and remembered a boy with braces and curly blond hair.

"Vaguely. Did he get his braces off?"  
She laughed, "yes, Bella. He has wonderful teeth now." The next half hour passed like this. Alice told me all about Jasper and how much she loved him and how they were waiting to have sex because they weren't ready yet and about how they met and it was non-stop!

We finally started the movie, some silly teenage vampire movie, and ate popcorn and chips. We were about an hour into the movie when Alice's cell phone vibrated on the table. 

"Hi, Dad… I'm with Bella Swan; she just came in today… yes, just across the street… Tell Emmett that he left it in the basement, I saw it there… tomorrow morning, probably… and tell Edward to stop playing that goddam song over and over… I know, I know… Okay. Love you too. Bye, Dad," she hung up her phone, "sorry, Bella. You remember my brothers, don't you?"

"Yeah, Emmett and…" I glanced into my lap, "Edward. I remember them."

"Emmett's so excited you got back! He really likes you, you know."

"Good to know," I smiled.

"And Edward's… Edward."

I sighed. 

We watched the rest of the movie in silence and eventually fell asleep on the couch. My dreams were filled with the complex piano melodies I knew so well, and Alice's words…

_"And Edward's… Edward."_

He certainly is.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the long wait! Thank you for everyone who reviewed. It's a slow start, but I'm hoping this will get more popular! Here is chapter 3, enjoy. :) -Lena**

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_"Bella," he called to me from across the room._

_ "What is it, Edward?" I said, trotting over to him and sitting next to him on the bench._

_ "I wrote my first song," he said with a smile._

_ "Edward! That's great! Let me hear it," I insisted. _

_ His long fingers glided over the keys, creating a beautiful, soft melody. All I could think about, rather selfishly of me, was how I would be able to live without my best friend-- my Edward._

_ "That bad, huh?" he said to me, bringing me back to earth. _

_ "No, no Edward! How could you think that? It's beautiful. I was just thinking..." my voice trailed off._

_ "About what?" I sighed, trying not to cry._

_ "About how much I'll miss you," my voice betrayed me as it cracked._

_ "Bella," he sighed, and held me to him. We stayed like that, in a comfortable silence. It was then I realized how much I loved Edward Cullen._

"Bella! Wake up! Time to wake up! We have school shopping to do!" I felt someone yell in my ear. I woke up groggily; I was still lying down on the couch. Alice was shaking me.

"Okay, okay Al. I'm up. Is Charlie home?" I mumbled, still tired.

"Yeah, but he already left for the station. He told me to tell you that he's sorry for working so much."

"It's 'kay," I answered.

"Don't tell me that, silly. Besides, we're going school shopping in Port Angeles. Let's get ready!" Alice pulled me up by the arm-- I had forgotten how much she loved shopping. And how pushy she was.

An hour and a mug of coffee and a shower later, we were off to Port Angeles in Alice's swanky yellow Porche- my rusty red pick-up truck looked even older compared to her brand new car. But I didn't care- it had character.

Alice scanned on the radio for a little bit, but then gave up. I could tell she was dying to ask me something- but I couldn't figure out what.

"So," she started, innocently enough, "did you have sweet dreams last night?" I instantly turned bright red. One of my "perks" was sleep-talking... an embarrassing thing that I was often made fun of for.

"Um..." I hesitated.

"You said Edward a few times. And you were humming this song- he's been playing it on the piano for the past month, it's been driving me crazy!" I heard myself gasp inadvertently. _Maybe he still cares about you. He could..._ I shook those crazy thoughts out of my head. He didn't care for me at all.

"That's all I said?" my voice sounded very small.

She smiled ruefully. "You did say the big 8 letters a few times." I blushed even harder.

"Oh no!" I gasped, burying my face in my hands. Alice just laughed lightly.

"Oh, don't worry Bella. He feels the same way about you, I'm sure," she said conversationally.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that."

"I am."

"Can we change the subject?"

She sighed, and hesitated. "For now."

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Not soon enough we arrived in Port Angeles, where Alice parked in the huge mall parking lot. She took my hand and towed me through the big doors. I stood in awe as we entered the superstore- there were stores everywhere.

"There's no time to waste! Let's go let's go!" Alice skipped towards our first stop, Abercrombie. I inwardly cringed... and apparently outwardly, too.

"Oh come on, Bella. They have good jeans."

"Very good and expensive jeans. I'm not exactly loaded, Alice," I warned her.

"It's on me. Now let's _go_," she said exasperatedly, as if it didn't matter at all.

The truth was that my parents were the definition of middle class. Unlike Alice's parents, a doctor and an interior designer, mine were the chief of police in a po-dunk little town and an employee at a yoga center. Money didn't exactly grow on trees for me. Back in Phoenix, I worked at a local pharmacy every day after school, and I had already applied for a few jobs here. Every cent went towards my college fund-- I knew I wasn't smart enough or good enough of an athlete to get a full ride.

"Bella, look at these jeans! They'll look perfect on you. Go try them on!" Alice shoved a pair of dark wash, very skinny jeans at me. She noted my skepticism.

"It's stretch fabric. Now go!" She all but shoved me into the changing room.

We emerged with two pairs of jeans and a few thermal shirts. I actually didn't mind them too much- they were plain.

Next Alice took me into American Apparel, which was too much spandex in my opinion, but we managed to find good basic t-shirts and sweatshirts. After this it was American Eagle, then J. Crew, then Old Navy (it was all too cheap in Alice's opinion, so we didn't stay too long), and then a shoe store. Alice noted that I wore glasses when I read, as I kept them on my head the entire time, so she felt it necessary to get me a pair of square tortoise frames- Ray-ban frames. I didn't even want to think about how much they cost. After a quick lunch break, we went to our final destination, Alice promised, Victoria's Secret. I groaned.

"Oh come on, Bella. You have an adorable little body. Might as well celebrate it!" Alice chirped as we entered.

I emerged a half hour later with things that Alice picked out- which meant lots and lots of lace and string, but surprisingly a few cute pairs of cotton boy shorts and bikini briefs as well, which I was thankful for.

We were about to leave when I spotted the Speedo store.

"Alice, wait! Let's go here," I pointed to it.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you were a swimmer. Are you going to join the team at school?"

"Yeah, I think. I don't want to get out of shape," I answered.

I had been swimming since I was a child; I absolutely loved it. I might not be as elite as some of my team mates at the Phoenix Aquatic Club Swim Team, but I was fairly decent. I even made Arizona's sectional team a few times, in backstroke. Forks swimming would be a breeze.

At Speedo, I bought-- this time I insisted I use my own money-- a few bathing suits in pretty colors and patterns. It was by far my favorite store that we went to all day.

It was 4:00 PM, and we were finally done. I had been shopping for 6 hours. I could hardly feel my arms. Alice, however, was already making plans for tonight.

"Do you want to come over to my house, Bell? Esme's just dying to see you!" she said to me as we drove back towards Forks.

I hesitated before I answered. _You can't avoid him forever. Might as well get it over with._

"Um, sure, I guess," I mumbled in response. Alice noticed my hesitation.

"Don't worry, Bella. He'll be on his best behavior, I promise," she said with a wink. I sighed, and gazed at the blurred shapes out the window as we zipped by them.

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I had finally finished unpacking all my clothes that I had bought. I glanced at the clock-- it was 6:15; I had to be at Alice's by 7:00. I took a quick shower and dried my hair, making it hang straight as always. I looked through my newly stocked closet and chose a pair of dark jeans and a light blue blouse, deciding to keep it simple. Before I knew it, it was time to go. I said goodbye to Charlie and crossed the street, where Alice was waiting.

"Bella! You look great. Come on in," she pulled me through the door and into the house that I recognized immediately. It looked exactly the same.

"Oh, my goodness! Bella Swan!" I heard Esme's voice from above the stairs. She lightly trotted down and hugged me.

"Esme, it's so nice to see you again," I said, feeling genuinely happy.

"It's wonderful to see you too, honey. I didn't think it was possible for you to get more beautiful, but you've proved me wrong!" She pinched my cheek and I blushed.

"Aw, cut it out, ma, you're embarrassing her," I heard a loud voice from behind me.

"Belly button!"

"Emmett!"

He pulled me into a bear hug, spinning me around and lifting me from the ground.

"Hm, Bells, I thought you'd change, but here you are, red-faced and puny just like before," he said teasingly.

"Thanks, Em," I chuckled.

"Bella," I heard, "it's lovely to have you back."

"Thanks, Dr. Cullen. It's nice to be back," I answered, trying not to get distracted by his unbelievably good looks.

"Bella, it's Carlisle. How many times do I have to tell you that?" he teased me.

"Sorry, forgot," I said with a smile. "Esme, do you need any help in the kitchen?"

"Oh, that would be wonderful, dear. We have so much catching up to do anyway!" she smiled as we walked into the kitchen.

We talked lightly for a half hour as we prepared the meal. Esme was such a sweet woman. I forgot how lovely all- well, most- the Cullens were.

Esme was asking me about my mother when someone called for her from the doorway.

"I'll be back in a minute, honey," she assured me as I continued stirring the pasta and humming to myself.

I heard the door open, assuming it was Esme again.

"I think the pasta's ready, Esme," I said without turning my back.

"Bella," I heard a beautiful and very familiar voice say. I spun around and stared at him- he was even more beautiful then I remembered.

"_Edward_."

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**Dum dum dum... It's Edward! I promise to speed up the next chapter. Bear with me here guys!**

**Please read and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 is finally here! Sorry for the wait. Writer's block+school=bad. But enjoy anyway. There's some Eddie POV in there for ya :)**

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We stared at each other in a long silence. He definitely looked older- well, he obviously would. He was tall and skinny, but not lanky. He had pale skin like me and his hair was the same bronze-red color, still untamed. Like a lion's mane, I used to tell him.

He broke the silence. "Bella, I--"

"What, Edward? You what?" I let all my pent up anger for him flow forward.

"I'm--" he began, but was interrupted by Esme entering the kitchen.

"Oh! Our dynamic duo, reunited. I'll let you two catch up," she said.

"No, no, Esme, we don't have any catching up to do. The food's ready," I said, my voice obviously sharp. Esme's eyes flickered back and forth between us as she handed Edward plates and utensils.

"Here, Edward, honey, why don't you go set the table, hmm?" she said, thrusting the items into his hands.

"Sure," he mumbled, and stalked out of the kitchen. I exhaled in a large gust.

Esme looked at me, obviously confused.

"Well," she said, "I won't pry. I'm no Alice," she said with a wink, making me laugh.

"Thank you, Esme," I said, genuinely grateful that she wouldn't force me to have this conversation.

"No problem, dear. Let's prepare the food." I agreed, and we continued in silence.

* * *

"So, Belly!" Emmett bellowed, "what's Arizona like?"

"Sunny," I deadpanned.

"Imagine that. No rain..." Emmett mused.

"Bella, dear, how is Renee?" Esme asked as she passed me the salad.

"She's... fine."

Renee, my scatterbrained, very exuberant mother, had just remarried a minor league baseball player, Phil Dwyer. The two were completely in love, so I moved to Forks to avoid seeing my mother make out with him in the kitchen again... among other things.

"And her new husband's name is Phil, isn't it?" I nodded.

"Phil's really nice," I said. Truthfully, that was about all I knew about him.

"That's good," Esme smiled at me. An awkward silence filled the room.

"Bella!" Alice chirped, "tell us more about Phoenix!"

"Yes, what was your school like?" Carlisle added, eager to get the conversation going again.

"Oh, it was a lot bigger than Forks High. Just a big campus high school," I answered him.

"Like one of those movies?" Emmett asked.

I laughed, "yeah, I guess so."

"That's damn cool."

"Emmett. Language," Carlisle warned. Emmett smiled sheepishly, making me giggle.

"Belly, what were your friends like?" I could tell that Emmett was now just desperately trying to start up a conversation. He was definitely scraping the bottom of the barrel.

"Um... nice?" I chuckled.

"Do you have a best friend? Does he wear a puffy coat too?" Emmett asked, quoting one of my favorite comedies, _Elf_. I couldn't help but laugh.

The conversation flowed easily after this. We talked about Renee a little more, discussed the weather, and school. Before I knew it, I was being pulled by Alice downstairs to the basement to hang out.

Emmett sat down on the huge couch and turned on the TV and set up his Playstation. Alice groaned.

"Not those violent games, ok? What about... Mario party!" she exclaimed. I heard a groan from the back of the room, and turned to see that Edward was here as well. I looked away immediately.

"Fine," Emmett sighed in defeat.

"I call Daisy!" Alice squealed.

"Eddie, you playing?" Emmett asked. Edward sighed and nodded, sitting down next to Emmett.

"I told you not to call me fucking Eddie," I heard him whisper harshly to Emmett.

"Sorry, bro."

Alice and I sat in front of the couch on the floor.

"Bella, have you ever played Playstation?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, a few times," I answered. Jordan was quite the fan-- I was a pro at Assassin's Creed.

We set up the game and chose characters. Alice chose Daisy, Edward chose Yoshi, I chose Luigi, and Emmett fittingly chose Bowser. We played for a half hour, and I was hyperaware of Edward's every move. He was stiff and serious and hardly said anything- he only answered a question when asked. Perhaps he was as nervous as I was?

"Bella! Focus!" Emmett's voice brought me back from my thoughts.

"Sorry, Em," I mumbled. Emmett and I eventually won, and before I knew it I was hugging Esme and Carlisle goodbye and having Alice walk me to my door.

"This is like a date, Al," I laughed.

"Well, Bells, you are pretty smokin'. I'd tap that," she said as we both laughed. We said our goodbyes and I went inside.

"Bella?"

"Yep, just got in, dad," I answered. I walked into the kitchen to clean up Charlie's dinner.

"Sorry I couldn't cook tonight," I said.

"It's fine, Bells. I survived without you for four years, y'know."

"I can't imagine how," I said with a smirk.

"Oh now, now, let's not get too big for our britches!" Charlie said as I laughed.

"I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning," I said.

"See ya, kid," Charlie answered. Sometimes living with Charlie was too easy.

I dressed quickly for bed and lied down, my thoughts filling with Edward like always. I could definitely tell that school would be interesting this year. I subconsciously thought of my lullaby and was asleep in minutes.

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EPOV

She was even more beautiful then I remembered. She had obviously grown up-- her body was no longer that of a little girl's, she was a woman.

Last night I saw her from my window picking up pizza from that dickwad Yorkie-- she was breathtaking in just a tanktop and pajama pants.

"Edward!" Alice chirped, dancing into my room.

"What, Alice?" I snapped.

"Someone's in a bad mood today," she said to me in a disapproving tone.

"Well, we're not all hyperactive pixies," I retorted.

"Ha ha. I'm going over to Bella's," she said.

I paused and took a deep breath. "Oh," was all I said.

"Do you want me to... give her a message on your behalf?" she inquired.

But really, what could I say?

_Hey, Bella, sorry I ignored you for four years. Nothing personal really. Let's be friends again. Oh, and by the way, you got really hot. _

Yeah. The perfect "welcome home" speech.

"Nah," I said. Alice grimaced at me and left.

I looked out the window and saw Alice skipping across the street and flinging herself into Bella's arms when she got to her door. Bella smiled and the two went inside.

I sighed and sauntered around my room, trying to find a way to entertain myself. I eventually gave up and went into the living room to play my piano.

I wrapped myself in the familiar melodies- the same melodies I had been playing a lot lately. A lullaby for a certain brown-eyed beauty.

* * *

"Eddie, bro," Emmett said, "Bella's coming to dinner tonight. So jack off before so you don't embarrass yourself with a little problem, 'kay?"

"Why's she coming to dinner?" I asked. I knew it would not be the most comfortable thing.

"Alice invited her. Ma says to get dressed," he said while walking out.

"And it's not little!" I yelled down the stairs. He just laughed in return.

Asshole.

Before I knew it I heard Esme and Carlisle greeting Bella. I took deep breaths, trying to collect myself before going to see her. Just hearing her lovely, sweet voice made me long for her.

When I was sure that Bella had gone into the kitchen with my mom, I went down stairs to be greeted by an angry Alice.

"Edward!" she said as she shoved my chest, "what is wrong with you?! You couldn't say hello to her?" she whisper-shouted at me.

"She probably doesn't want to talk to me," I murmured.

"Of course she does, you moron! She's in fucking l--" she stopped abruptly and shook her head, "just go say hello to her. She's in the kitchen. I'll get mom to leave so you can be alone."

"Al--" I started.

"Shush! _Moooooom_!" she called.

Esme rushed out, "What's the matter, dear?"

Alice nodded at me and then made up some bullshit excuse about her shoes hurting. Typical.

I swung open the kitchen door to see Bella's back turned towards me. She was wearing simple skinny jeans, showing off her thin legs, and a dark blue blouse, making her skin look beautifully creamy.

"I think the pasta's ready, Esme," she said sweetly.

I sighed, and said her name.

She whirled around to face me, as she said my name breathlessly, in shock.

She was definitely more beautiful.

Her dark brown hair fell in gentle ways around her face, and she was thin, but womanly. She was, as Alice would say, petite. And that face- that amazing face. Her brown eyes were framed by dark lashes, and her small nose had adorable freckles on it. Her cheeks had a light pink tinge, and her _mouth..._

I needed to get her back. Tell her I was sorry.

"Bella, I--" I began to say.

"What, Edward? You what?"

"I'm--"

_An idiot for letting you slip through my fingers. Lucky to have you while I did. Mesmerized by your beauty._

_ Sorry._

_ In love with you._

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**Thank you all! xLena :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the wait! Enjoy! x**

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The weekend passed quickly, and before I knew it I was driving to Forks High, wearing one of Alice's outfits for me, of course. It was a dark green plaid flannel shirt and dark wash skinny jeans, paired with plain canvas sneakers because I begged. As I approached school, I began to feel more and more nervous. I hadn't seen these people since I was 14—I knew that I would be the center of attention.

I hate being the center of attention.

In fact, I hate any form of attention. Even if it's good.

Because, when you're Bella Swan, attention equals mumbling plus tripping plus blushing, also known as being unbelievably awkward. I planned on keeping my head down and just getting through the day—at least that's what I kept telling myself.

I took a deep breath, and gave myself a mental pep-talk. _It will be fine, Bella. Stop worrying. No one can honestly give a crap that you're back. You're not as important as you think you are. Christ._

This was my mantra until I parked in the Forks High parking lot, to be greeted by Alice.

"Bella! You look great! Is that the shirt we got at Urban Outfitters? Oh, I got your schedule!" she said all in one breath.

"Thanks, Alice," I mumbled. I glanced behind her, and there he was. Looking like a model, of course- even if he was just wearing a teeshirt and jeans.

"Bella," he said curtly, smiling slightly.

I, of course, blushed and looked away.

I was a pro at this whole flirting thing, obviously.

Not that we were flirting—because we weren't. I mean, I have no feelings for Edward. At all. Really.

"Ohmi_gawd_, Bella!" I heard a high-pitched voice exclaim. I sighed.

"It's me, Jessica! Don't you remember me?" She said while giving me a hug.

"Yeah, of course I do, Jess," I said.

"Wow, you look great! Let me go get Ang!" she said, and ran off. I exhaled loudly, and heard Edward chuckle.

Ass.

The rest of the day was spent learning to navigate the school building and greeting familiar faces. Jessica was just as annoying as I remembered, Lauren was just as snobby, and Angela was just as pleasant. And the boys were just as overtly flirtatious.

When it was time for lunch, Alice towed me to her table, where Emmett sat with a very tall blonde woman who didn't look like a high school student. Emmett smiled as we approached and nudged the woman. She turned around, and I almost didn't recognize her.

"Belly!" she shrieked, turning many heads in the cafeteria.

"Rosie!" I yelped back, as we hugged and laughed.

"Shit, Rose, I didn't even recognize you!" I said as Alice and I sat down.

"I can say the same about you, Bell!" she said.

When I had left, Rosalie was maybe 5'2" with pin straight shoulder-length blond hair, and hardly had a chest. Now, she was a gorgeous blond bombshell.

I really enjoyed sitting with Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie- it felt as if I'd never left. Everything was going smoothly until Rosalie looked me directly in the eye and asked,

"Where's Edward?"

I was taken aback- I didn't even know if she was addressing me.

"What?" I replied.

"Doesn't Edward have this lunch period?" she asked me.

I blushed, and answered: "Well, um, I don't know."

"That's odd. Aren't you two best friends?" she said with an oblivious smile.

"Um…"

Luckily, Alice came to my rescue.

"Edward doesn't have this lunch period on Mondays. Neither does Jasper," she answered easily, smiling at me.

"Oh, okay," Rosalie said simply. Emmett chuckled.

"C'mon, babe, time for class," he said. We said our goodbyes, and I headed for Biology, and was one of the first ones there.

I sat in my assigned seat and put my head on the desk, suddenly realizing how tired I was. I hadn't gotten too much sleep last night, since I was so nervous for today.

"Hey, Bella!" I heard a slightly high-pitched male voice say. I lifted my head.

"Mike, hi," I said, not too excited to see him.

"Hey, you feeling okay?" he asked me, "if you want, I can escort you to the nurse," he said with a wink.

I pursed my lips. "No, I'm just tired."

He leaned in to my desk. "It's really great to see you again, Bella," he said with what I assume was meant to be a husky and sexy voice, and with another wink. What was with him and winking?!

"Yeah, Mikey, you're real cute, buddy," said another voice. I turned to see a friendly face that I remembered well—Angela's boyfriend, Eric Yorkie.

"Eric, hi!" I said enthusiastically.

"Bella! How you been, girl?" he asked me playfully.

"Fine, fine. It's great to see you!" I said honestly. Eric was always really kind. Mike took the hint and went to go sit at his desk. Eric and I chatted for a little bit, but he too moved to take his seat.

Soon, most of the chairs were full- except for the one next to me. The class commenced anyway, and about ten minutes in the one person that I least wished to show up stumbled into the classroom.

Edward, of course. Because I'm just that lucky.

"Mr. Cullen. Care to join us?" Mr. Molina said.

"Sorry, Mr. Molina, I was dismissed late from History," he said, clearly out of breath from running.

Is it wrong that I found it sexy?

_Yes, Bella, very, very wrong, _I chastised myself.

"Now please take your seat, Mr. Cullen," Mr. Molina said and pointed to the only empty seat.

Right next to me.

How perfect.

He slid into the seat and glanced at me. I pretended to be taking notes. I had already taken AP Biology in Phoenix and had learned everything in this course already.

About 15 minutes into the class, I felt Edward move beside me.

"Bella," he whispered. I stiffened.

"I, well, um, I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to say… welcome back."

I sighed. "Thanks," I murmured.

"I know we haven't talked in a while, and I was wondering if you'd like to… uh, catch up some time," he said.

I chucked quietly. He had to be joking. So, I asked him.

"No, I'm not joking, Bella," he answered, slightly angrily.

I sighed, and continued to take notes.

"So do you want to or not?" he asked.

"No, I don't want to _catch up_ with you, Edward," I snapped at him, as the bell rang. I stood up to collect my things, hoping to get out of this awkward situation as quickly as possible.

"Bella," he called just before I left. I stopped, but didn't turn around.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

I couldn't hear it. So I walked away from him.

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